Sunday, October 14, 2012

Spotlight On Under The Root

Today I am very excited to share with you an amazing shop called Under The Root! Beautiful handmade clothes, under garments that make me think of a woodland faerie! If I were a wood sprite this is exactly what I would wear every day!! Please enjoy this wonderful interview from a wonderful lady!

About the Artist:

My name is Jennifer M Brown and I am the designer and maker of things for Under The Root. Each design and the entire process utilizes upcycled, reclaimed, sustainable, and many times vintage materials. This seems to be the most natural foundation for us in the construction of loungerie, lingerie and boudoir accessories. My wish is for people to whirl around in their days and nights, storytelling their own fables and becoming their own stories.. where the playful, demure and even the most modest bodies are awake. Our name comes from a juvenile fiction trilogy by Zilpha Keatley Snyder and has grown to have meaning in many facets of the works here with the intimate apparel.

What inspired you to start your business?

While sitting among friends and drinking licorice tea, I made a decision to take all my scribbles of thoughts, desire to turn my life around, designs of underthings, and treasure troves of findings from out of the bird nest. Also vital, my will to put cards on the table toward a sincere contribution to satisfying human desire in a conscious, wakeful manner. I began with a black lacquer Singer and the support of many, many loves around me at the time. The closer each design came to its end, the closer I had grown to the root of what came before me.

What inspires your creative process?

It seems the process, itself, is a continuous inspiration every step of the way. I think some of the most valuable kicks in the behind begin with human connection, freedom of expression in our cultures around the world,passionate individuals to share love with all its many shapes and sizes, and the understanding that we are here for only a blink. When the sun is bright, it is blinding and borderline overwhelming to the process. When the moon drifts to dark, it is scary sometimes but always welcomed by an undertow of its presents.

What is your favorite thing you’ve made and why?

Thank you for asking and if there was a top of the heap design or piece, I will have shared it here with you. It is possible to have a deep connection with every single design and damn near every piece made in the studio, each for different reasons. I will say that there are 4 pieces, in the beginning, which were quite unique to wear because they were made without elastic or stretch fabric. It was a secret, but now seems alright to share, that I truly had no idea how to create undergarments in the beginning. I was a novice seamstress and simply did not have the skills required to fasten together all the elements for undergear. That was almost 13 years ago now and I still have the 4 pieces to remind me of this journey.

What advice do you have for other people who want to start or grow their Etsy shop?

There is a yin and yang with every step. The rewards in each decision feed the growth of further ones, so make a decision and do not waste time. Many times I have been thwarted by unseen obstacles which then have led me to challenges in the mastering of my dreams. Marketing and promotion begins with knowledge of the niche for your works. After an initial leap into your industry, my best advice is to remain true to your work and have a balance within your personal versus business life. Do what you say, follow through, and be sure to be the best at what you do.